As this contribution shows the current design of the gender contract does not take full advantage of the possible complementarities between equality and efficiency. Thus, for instance, the high investments in training and education undertaken by girls and women are not put to optimal use by economy and society. Further losses of efficiency occur as - owing to traditional role patterns - women neglect the criteria of economic rationality when deciding on the direction of their educational training. In addition to these findings, the paper presents a test of the well-known welfare regimes. None of the three ideal-type models is fully satisfying as a rewarding vision. The costs of the liberal model mainly consist in a high inequality of life chances; the remarkable gains of women with regard to gender equality on the labor market have to be paid for by women and families with low incomes. The costs of the conservative model become particularly clear in the resulting lack of flexibility of employment conditions, in the high vertical segregation unfavourable for women, and the minimal use of female human capital unfavourable for the economy. The costs of the social democratic model have to be sought primarily in a high horizontal segregation of the labor market.